James 2:1-26
2 My brothers, una think say una fit de show faith for our Lord Jesus Christ wey dey wonderful and still de do partial?
2 For example, if person wey wear fine cloth with gold rings for im fingers come una meeting and one poor man wey wear dirty cloth come too,
3 how una de treat them? Una de welcome the one wey wear fine cloth well and tell-am say, “Sitdown for this fine place,” come tell the poor man say, “You, stand there” or, “Sitdown for that place, under the stool wey I de put my leg ontop”?
4 If na so una de do, una no see say una de look some people say them better pass other people? And no be wicked way to judge people be that?
5 My dear brothers, make una listen. No be the people wey the world de look say them dey poor God choose to be im tight friends because of their faith? Yes, na them e choose to inherit the Kingdom wey e promise to people wey love-am.
6 But una de make the poor people shame. No be the rich people de oppress una and de carry una go court?
7 No be the rich people de talk bad about the better name wey God give una?
8 The word of God talk say, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” So if una de obey this important law,* una de do the correct thing.
9 But if una continue to do partial, una de sin and the law make-am clear say una be people wey no de follow law.
10 Because if anybody de follow the whole law but e no come follow one of the laws, e don become person wey no de obey the whole law.
11 Because the person wey talk say, “Make you no sleep with who no be your husband or wife,” still talk say, “Make you no kill person.” So if you no sleep with person wey no be your husband or wife, but you kill person, you don break the law.
12 Una be people wey dey free and na the law wey de direct free people,* them go use judge una. So make una continue to talk and behave as people wey de follow that law.
13 The person wey no de show mercy, them no go show-am mercy too when them go judge-am, but the person wey de show mercy go win when them judge-am.*
14 Which gain person get if e talk say e get faith but e no de do anything to show-am, that kind faith go fit save-am?
15 If any brother or sister no get enough food to chop for the day and enough cloth to wear,*
16 but one of una come tell-am say, “Go well o, wear better cloth and chop well,” but una no give-am wetin e need, how that one take help the person?
17 Na so e still be if person talk say e get faith but e no do something to show-am, that faith dey useless.*
18 But somebody fit talk say, “You get faith and I de do good work. How you go prove say you get faith when you no de do anything to show-am? But I go use the things wey I de do show you say I get faith.”
19 You believe say na one God dey, no be so? E good say you believe. But even the demons too believe, and fear de catch them.
20 You foolish man, you want make I show you say if person get faith but e no de do anything to show-am, na useless faith be that?
21 No be wetin Abraham our papa do, na im make God talk say e dey righteous? Yes, na after e don put Isaac im pikin ontop altar make e use-am do sacrifice na im God talk say e dey righteous.
22 You no see say im faith show for wetin e do? And this one make-am clear say e get real faith.*
23 Na im make the word of God talk say, “Abraham put faith for Jehovah, and this one make God see-am* as righteous person,” and them call Abraham, Jehovah friend.
24 Now, una don see say wetin de make God talk say person dey righteous na the things wey e de do, no be only im faith.
25 Na so God still see Raʹhab wey be prostitute as righteous person because of the thing wey e do. E welcome the people wey come spy the land and e show them another road wey them take run comot.
26 The truth be say, just as body wey no get life* don die, na so faith wey person no do anything to show-am, don die.
Footnotes
^ Or “this law wey come from King.”
^ For Greek na, “the law of freedom.”
^ For Greek na, “mercy de win judgment.”
^ For Greek na, “and dey naked.”
^ For Greek na, “that faith don die.”
^ For Greek na, “and this one make im faith perfect.”
^ Or “count-am.”
^ Or “no fit breathe again.” For Greek na, “spirit.”
